Gut health is an important health concern for our overall health and well-being. Gut health is becoming more discussed in the wellness space as the understanding of it's importance continues to grow.
We’re exploring the importance of looking after our gut health and how we can improve it.
The gut’s primary function is that of digestion, absorption of nutrients, and the excretion of waste.
A higher variety of bacteria in the gut is generally a sign of a healthy gut. Healthy bacteria and immune cells that ward off infectious agents like viruses can also be found in a healthy gut.
This helps with your immune system, your overall health, digestion, and even your mental health.
All aspects of our health are essentially linked to our gut health. Our gut is a very powerful organ and is in fact so important for our health it is often referred to as our ‘second brain’.
Your gut communicates with the brain through nerves and hormones so in keeping our gut healthy we can keep our mental and overall health in check.
Some common things that could affect your gut health include:
Gut health can help with your digestion, immune system, and mental health in the following ways..
Digestion: a healthy digestion system is needed to break down food so it can enter your bloodstream and deliver nutrients to your body. This is where the gut microbiome comes in as it helps in the extremely important task of controlling your digestion.
This is executed through digesting foods, communicating with your intestinal cells, and stopping disease causing bacteria attaching to your intestinal walls.
Immune system: a healthy gut is also strongly linked to having a healthy immune system. Around three quarters of our immune system is in our gut. Therefore, it's understandable that looking after your gut and having good gut health will have a positive effect on your immune system.
Mental health: the health of our brain can be affected by the condition of our gut. This is sometimes known as the 'gut-brain connection' or the 'mind-gut connection'.
When you feel anxiety, you'll feel it in your gut and vice versa. An example of this is when you experience stress, you may have symptoms such as stomach pain, nausea or loss of appetite.
Bad gut health can also cause negative impacts on our health and body, these include: digestive symptoms, such as gas, bloating and constipation, insomnia or poor sleep, unintentional weight loss or gain.
Maintaining a healthy gut comes down to a small number of key lifestyle choices which include good nutrition, plenty of exercise, and the right amount of sleep.
A healthy gut requires a wide range of microbes. ‘Highly processed, lower quality foods’ are playing a big part in decreasing the diversity of our gut microbes as well as disrupting ‘pathogen balance’ which is linked to a higher risk of mental disorders.
If you do have bad gut health, the good news is there are things we can do to improve it. Some of these can be simple, including:
Knowing what foods are good for gut health can help us identify what we should prioritise in our diets. This includes:
Foods rich in fibre: men should be aiming for around 30-38 grams and women should be aiming for around 21-35 grams of fibre a day.
Food that are rich in fibre help with your digestive health and regular bowel movements. Foods rich in fibre include wholegrains, nuts, lentils, fruits such as berries, vegetables such as broccoli and avocados.
Foods rich in polyphenols: these plant compounds help to reduce the risk of stress, cholesterol levels, and blood pressure to just name a few benefits.
Black and white beans are extremely high in polyphenols and other foods include olives, flaxseeds, herbs and spices, and even tea and coffee.
Foods that are plant based: extensive research has shown evidence that the Mediterranean diet, which is largely focused around plant based foods, can reduce risks of disorders, depression, heart diseases and cancers amongst many others.
Plant based foods can help to boost your energy and go beyond vegetables, extending to whole grains, fruits, beans, lentils, nuts, and seeds.
It's a good idea to track and stay on top of a healthy diet and when doing so, always consider foods which are good for the gut.
There are also foods which can be considered bad for the gut. Typically an unhealthy gut would be eating too many ultra-processed foods, smoking and drinking alcohol, and a lack of physical activity.
Some of the worst foods for gut health include: artificial sweeteners, processed foods, sugary drinks, red meat, high-fat foods and fried foods.
Sleep and exercise can massively help to improve your gut health in the following ways:
Sleep: gut health and sleep are strongly linked to one another as your gut produces the majority of your body’s serotonin which is a neurotransmitter that affects mood and quality of sleep. Research studies show that poor sleep has led to an aggravation of digestive symptoms.
The ideal number of hours of sleep to aim for is seven to eight in order to power our mental and physical functions as well as develop immunity and a whole host of other health benefits.
To keep your serotonin levels up it is important to be feeding your body a wide range of nutrients, keeping your stress levels reduced, and keeping up regular exercise.
Exercise: regular exercise can help with digestion, strengthen your stomach muscles, and also reduce stress levels.
All of these contribute greatly to both our gut health in addition to our overall health and well-being. The NHS recommends 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise a week which includes strengthening activities that can help with gut health.
Great places to start are yoga exercises and ab targeted exercises. Classes can be accessed for free on YouTube. For more guidance and tips on strength exercises including yoga, check out our blog: Strength training as we age.
It is important to give your gut the love and attention it truly deserves as it is such a vital organ; helping to sustain overall health and well-being.
If you have concerns about your gut health, then it is best to seek medical advice from your GP.
If you currently have health insurance, there may also be health and well-being support available to you thanks to benefits in your policy.
Aviva, for example offer 'MyHealthCounts' which helps you understand more about your health and lifestyle choices. They then offer personalised advice and access to tools which can help to improve your health.
An insurance policy with The Exeter would include up to six lifestyle and nutrition consultations a year, as well as dietician consultations to help you improve your health and well-being.
If you're thinking about how you can protect your health with private medical insurance, you can reach out to our friendly expert advisers on 01285 864670. Or fill out the form below for one of our team to get in touch.